Eagle Cries and Sword Clashes
by RougeBaron
Summary: A joined effort with Kat Wylder author of Black Wolf, Nebelung, and The Last Hunter. War is a shade of grey. There are no good soldiers or bad soldiers in a war, only soldiers. This is a war as seen from 2 different perspectives. Completed, finally.
1. Chapter 1 by RogueBaron

**Eagle Cries and Sword Clashes  
_by Kat Wylder and RogueBaron_**

**Note:** This is a collaborative effort of _Kat Wylder_ and _RogueBaron_. The main idea is that sometimes war is not as clear as "good guys vs. bad guys". There are no good soldiers vs. bad soldiers, only soldiers: children, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, lovers on the opposite side of their guns. We rarely see fanfics like this, so we decide to make one.

_BattleTech/MechWarrior_ and all its components are copyright of _FASA_, _Wizkids_, _Activision_, and _Microsoft_.  
_The Scimitar Company_ and all its components are copyright of _Kat Wylder_.  
_The Screaming Eagle Company_ and all its components are copyright of _RogueBaron_.  
All rights reserved

**

* * *

****Chapter I, by RogueBaron**

_**Screaming Eagles HQ,  
**__**Bucharest, Terra,  
**__**February 9, 3068**_

Mario Cruz walked in a long hallway. He was a medium-built young man, a 27-year-old 5'5" 145-lbs brunette with brown eyes, and a kind of goofy smile. But he was a mechwarrior, despite his funny appearance. His mercenary unit, the Screaming Eagles, was a company-size mercenary unit based on Bucharest, Earth. He joined the Screaming Eagles after Word of Blake invaded his hometown, San Diego, ten years ago. He still remembered the event to this day. The Blakist landed and started destroying everything in sight, forcing him to flee his home. Lucky for him, the Screaming Eagles were short of personnel, so he was recruited immediately and he worked for the unit ever since.

The hallway brought Mario to the garage where technicians were prepping up the mechs. 'Something's coming up,' he thought. 'Maybe we have another contract.' Mario walked pass his mech, an old PXH-3S that was his pride and joy. His mind wandered to the day when he acquired – stole, to be exact – that mech, and his lips curled into a smile. The day Word of Blake invaded San Diego, Mario was forced to take refuge in a Comstar garage, knowing nothing but to find the safest place – the _Phoenix Hawk_. Mario was just a 17-year old boy and had never been in a real battlemech, but he played video games extensively, so he managed to take down a lance of Blakists using the Comstar's _Phoenix Hawk_, and escaped.

Mario walked through the garage and went to the command control. The CO of the Screaming Eagles, Major Chip Taylor, was talking to several other members of the mercenary unit. He was a stocky, muscular man, with grayish hair and deep, brown eyes. Battle scars were all over his body. Some rumor said that he had an artificial leg, a souvenir of Tukayyid campaign where he was locked in a pitched battle against 2 Clan mechs. His cockpit was smashed that the techs had to amputate his leg to get him out.

Mario snapped a quick salute to his superior, then said, "I saw the mechs were being fitted, Sir. Are we having a new contract?"

"Indeed, Cruz," Chip replied. "For the last couple of years the Irian BattleMech Unlimited, Marik's primary mech factory, has been building new weapon systems. The FedCom is growing uneasy about this, because we all know that FWL harbored the Word of Blake during their initiation. They suspected that this rumor had something to do with the Blakist, so they want to know what the Mariks are building.

"This is IBMU research center at Irian," Chip put on a holographic map on the table. "The FedCom wanted us to infiltrate this base, download information, get out, and get paid. This is a simple mission, small adversaries expected. If we're lucky, we don't have to fire our guns altogether."

Mario froze a moment, then asked "Isn't it risky to hire a mercenary unit to carry this sensitive mission? They have better assets to do this kind of task. Why ask us?"

"Politics is not our game, Cruz, so don't try to understand it. But if I have to guess, then I guess FedCom doesn't want to jeopardize its relationship with FWL. As we all know, Isis Marik is one of Victor's staunchest supporters in the Civil War. They send us in to do this job, so when this mission goes hairy, they can disavow any knowledge of us."

"Then why are we doing this? I don't trust the FedCom. There are a lot of other jobs waiting at MRBC. We don't have to do this, Sir."

"The money is good," Chip answered. "If everything goes well, we will walk in and walk out unopposed. If something bad happens, then we just take care of ourselves, just like the other days. You have been in my command for 10 years, Cruz, so you know I will never take a mission that we can't handle. Don't worry about it. We'll have a general meeting at 1800 hours, and I'll address the situation with others. For now, dismiss."

For some reason, Mario had a bad feeling about the mission, but he also knew that his CO was a respectable man, not a greedy opportunist that would risk his teammate to get money. He nodded off and went out of the command control, trying to get rid of the anxiety. 'If I can't trust the FedCom, I can trust Chip', he thought, then went to his room to cool off.


	2. Chapter 2 by Kat Wylder

**Chapter 2, by Kat Wylder**

_**A smoky bar,  
**__**Harlech, Outreach,  
**__**February 12, 3068**_

"Oh, this is first class, lemme tell ya."

"Hey, they've got steak and booze, Hyper," said Colonel Aari, as he sliced into his meat. "That's good enough for me."

The woman he was addressing smirked and took a swig of her drink, then plunked the heavy beer mug down on the table. "Drinking contest! Whaddya say, boss?" she asked, grinning widely. True to her nickname, the tall, flame haired-woman was the most rambunctious MechWarrior on the lance, always chomping at the bit and ready for action.

"Oh, for the love of-- No more for you!" interjected a comparatively shorter man named Audren, as he snatched the mug from her. "I still remember the last time you got drunk."

Hyper faked a pout and then started on her own meal. "So, boss, what's the deal? I mean, not that I don't just love to hang out in bars where people smoke like chimneys."

Aari nodded and pushed his plate aside. "Well, we're not getting any younger, richer, or better looking by sitting around on our butts all day, are we? It's time we jump back into things, so we're heading to the FWL. Whit," he said with a nod to the tactics officer across the table, "says someone's got their eyes on Irian, and the IBMU is getting nervous. They've got a big defense contract for us."

"Sure you haven't bit off more than you can chew, there?" asked Lance Commander Nannen, as she leaned back in her chair. She took a sip of her wine, then stood and motioned for Aari to follow her. "Whit, sugar, don't let the waiter take my drink."

"So, what's on your mind, Faye?" the Colonel asked, as he walked outside the bar after her.

"Everythin'. So much has gone on lately. Are you sure we're ready for this? It sounds like a big op and we're still getting' back on our feet."

Col. Aari leaned back against the wall and sighed. In just under a week, he'd lost his entire lance to treachery, backstabbing, and desertion. That was three MechWarriors he had to replace, plus two chassis-- one stolen, one destroyed. He still felt guilty about Maro.

"Dangit, Faye," he muttered. "I should have figured it out before all this crap got started. I still can't get that out of my head. I should've known Randi was…"

"Shut up, Ken," said Nannen casually, as she leaned up against the wall beside him. She gave him a lazy glance and raised an eyebrow. "You're whining again. You know the only one who's attendin' your little pity party is you."

"I know, I know. I just feel like I let everyone down. …Especially Maro."

"Nah. It's not your fault, sugar. We'll make it, alright. Come on-- we're the Scimitars! It's gonna take more than a few Clan rats to stop us."

"Hey, I thought you were going to try and convince me not to take this contract. It sounds like you're encouraging me."

Nannen shrugged and gave him a lopsided smile. "Changed my mind," she said, as she shoved her hands in her pockets. "Besides, I got to thinking' about the numbers Whit showed me. We could use the cash."

Aari nodded and sighed. Audren and Hyper were transfers from another Scimitar lance, which saved him the intangible cost of building trust with them. Unfortunately, that left him one MechWarrior shy, and he still had to fill in the lance he pulled them from. The new trio of pilots was scheduled to meet up with the rest of the company tomorrow, which meant handing out three sign-on bonuses. Replacing the lost 'Mechs would take a bigger chunk out of the budget, and he would also have to dip into the Scimitar's account to cover the transport and cycle fees.

"So, how much did Sanders make off with when she screwed us over?" asked Nannen.

"Not counting the market value for the _Loki_, it's just over 300,000 C-Bills. Whit's still trying to figure out exactly how she got it."

Nannen swore and shook her head. "Wonder if the IMBU would be so kind as to provide their defenders with a couple of 'Mechs. Maybe an _Awesome_ or one of the new _Albatrosses_ they're pumping out."

"You know, speaking of _Albatrosses_, I still think it's odd that the Blakists got their hands on the ALB-5U before Marik's forces. I guess it doesn't matter, though. They're paying us well enough that I'm not to interested in digging around."

"Atta boy," Nannen said, as she gave him a light punch in the arm and headed back inside. "Now, come on. Whit might stop waiter from taking my drink, but I'm not sure he can keep Hyper away from it for long."


	3. Chapter 3 by RogueBaron

**Chapter III, by RogueBaron**

_**Dreadnought-Class jumpship,  
**__**Orbit of Irian, Free World League,  
**__**April 11, 3068**_

"OK, LISTEN UP!" Major Chip Taylor raised his voice as he was briefing the crew. "Our objective is to raid this base, download some freaking information, get out and get richer. I don't want heroes, just smart, rich warriors. Let's get to the details. The base is at the base of Soapstone Mountain. We can use the terrain to our advantage. Scout Lance, take this pass and sneak behind the garrisons when they sleep. Your mechs have been equipped with special circuitries that will automatically scan your objective buildings, but you have to stand less than 100 meters from your objectives for at least 20 seconds. So keep yourselves undetected. I want you to scan 4 buildings: the weapon integrity building, the actuator testing building, the battlemech factory, and the mech hangars. Divide your force to cover these objectives equally so you can do it with minimum amount of time.

"Mario, I want you to lead the Fire lance to station at this point," Chip pointed a spot on the holographic map. "It's 800 meters from the complex. Your job is to create diversion and lure the defenders out of the complex. Hit them hard for a couple of minutes, then retreat toward this pass, but make sure that the defenders follow you. I will bring the command lance to wait halfway through the pass to ambush the defenders. Once the complex is empty, Scout lance will do the job."

"Resistance, Sir?" Mario asked.

"Light, medium at most. Irian has only been raided once, so the Free World should not be alert. Do what I said, nice and easy, and everyone will get out richer. Understood? Alright, you are dismissed. Go to your mechs. We're dropping off in 30 minutes."

Mario walked to the dropship with the rest of the company. He put on his helmet, then climbed his _Phoenix Hawk_ slowly. He sat on the command couch and closed the canopy. Through the glass he could see his comrades. On his left was the Scout lance consisted of a _Locust_, a _Razorback_, a _Javelin_ and a _Raven_. On his right stood the Command lance with a _Victor_, a _Black Knight_, a _Thanatos_ and Chip's _Awesome_.

In front of him stood the rest of his lance mates. On the right he saw Garcia and his _Centurion_. Garcia was a dependable fighter. Next to Garcia was Blitzie, a gung-ho kid in a _Bushwacker_. Behind Blitzie was Reneas in her _Hunchback_. Together with Mario's own _Phoenix Hawk,_ they made up the Fire lance, the workhorses of the Screaming Eagles.

Twenty minutes later the dropship descended into the atmosphere toward Irian's surface. Half an hour later it touched the ground in a not-too-smooth landing. The hatch opened slowly, and all mechs climbed down to the dusty soil.

"Maintain a tight formation and speed," Mario ordered his lance mates. He led the Fire lance cruising in 60 kph, climbing up a hill of rock. They walked through the darkness. It was a long walk, but finally they made it to their position, overlooking the vast mech factory complex. Colossal buildings sprawled over a wide area, guarded by a dozen turrets.

"This is Fire Lance, we're in position," Mario reported. "I saw turrets guarding the complex, no battlemechs."

"Scout Lance on the spot, awaiting order," the CO of scout lance replied. "We have visual contact with a lance of _Chimeras_ on the southern side."

"Alright, Fire Lance, move out!" Chip barked his order. "Neutralize the turrets, then have the _Chimeras_ follow you to Nav Point Epsilon. I'll be waiting for you there."

"Copy that, lead!" Mario replied. "Fire lance, you heard the man! Follow me!"

The dawn was ripped by a streak of laser beam as the Fire Lance unloaded their ordnance at the turrets. Laser bursts from Mario's _Phoenix Hawk_ dug multiple holes in one turret. It swung its autocannon, but before it could shoot, a set of lasers from Mario's pulse laser smashed into its hull. The turret engulfed in a bonfire.

Blitzie continuously exposed his _Bushwacker_ to enemy's fires, showing off that his mech was the best of all. He sent his autocannon slug to a laser turret, destroying the base. One more turret on his right flank sprayed his mech with lasers. Two good hits ripped the armor on his AC10. He twisted and sent a barrage of missiles, all but 2 connected to the body, setting the turret ablaze.

"Ha… that's a piece of cake!" he bragged.

"Conserve ammo!" Mario yelled. "Find and smoke the control towers!"

Garcia and Reneas paced their mechs through wheezing lasers and bullets, aiming for the turret control tower at the center. Ten missiles hissed out of the _Centurion's_ shoulder, straight to the center of the tower. Pieces of concrete flew into the air as the missiles hit the target. Reneas brought her mech to striking position and pumped her mighty AC20. A jet of bright light shot from the tower as it crumbled, and seconds later all turrets went down.

"Turrets are disabled," Mario reported. "Now wait for the damn _Chimeras_…"

"Fire Lance, we read power surges throughout the complex," the Scout Lance warned. "Battlemechs are powering up! Oh my God, get out of there Cruz!"

Before Mario realized what was going on, his radar was flooded with beeps and red marks. At least a dozen mechs in various weight classes boxed the Fire Lance, practically closing their exit. Mario could only gasp when the lumbering metal giants galloped in his direction, aiming their guns at him and his lance…


	4. Chapter 4 by Kat Wylder

**Chapter IV, by Kat Wylder**

_**IBMU complex,  
**__**Irian, Free Worlds League,  
**__**April 11, 3068**_

Col. Aari muttered a curse as he heard gunfire and explosions erupt outside. "Come on, baby," he muttered, trying to convince his _Marauder_ to power up faster. Alarms sounded in the hangar and someone shouted that the turret control tower was down.

"You hear that, people?" he shouted over the noise. "We just lost our fire support. Sounds like someone out there has an AC20, too. Hyper, find their gunboat and take it out!"

"Gladly, sir!" she chimed, as she piloted her 'Mech out of the hangar. "Oh, and much love for the use of your _Loki_, boss."

"It's coming from the _Hunchback_, sir," announced Whit. "Oh, whoa… I've got intermittent contact with at least one _Awesome _and _Victor_ on long range sensors. They keep moving, so I can't give you numbers."

"Our cold-start must've panicked the first lance, so let's use that. Audren, go passive and try to get behind them before they retreat into the pass, then give them a bloody nose. Blick," Col. Aari, ordered his new lancemate, "I want you to strafe around and try to pin them from the right and then try to distract them. Hyper, I want you to split them up. I'll be there as soon as I can. Nannen, you're with us. Let Jameson's lance watchdog the complex."

"Roger that," she replied.

The hangar doors slid open, and Col. Aari pushed his _Marauder_ to its top speed and began firing his PPCs at the intruders. A cerulean blue streak hit home on the x-shaped missile rack of a _Bushwhacker_. The hybrid InnerSphere-Clan chassis staggered back a few steps, but started to correct itself. An instant before the pilots could regain equilibrium, Hyper closed in and slugged it in the hip with her LBX. The 55-ton beast fell back again and landed on its side, releasing a spray of autocannon fire as it hit. By sheer dumb luck, the shot ripped through the foot actuator of Audren's _Catapult_, and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Cover!" Audren yelped, as the enemy lance turned to pound him before he could get up.

"Hang tight," said Blick stiffly, as he maneuvered his _Dragon_ in front of his lancemate. The _Centurion_ brought its guns to bear on Blick's torso and opened fire, chipping away at his armor with its guns. He returned fire with his own AC10 and buried a few rounds in the arm of the _Centurion_ and started melting away the limb with his lasers.

"I've got him, sugar," said Nannen, as she trained her _Rifleman's _crosshairs on the _Centurion_. "Bravo lance, cut off their escape path," she called to her subordinates.

Meanwhile, Audren was still unable to force his crippled 'Mech to stand. "Colonel, I'm out of action. I can't eject at this angle, either," he reported nervously, as he eyed the yellow-striped ejection lever.

"Charlie lance," Aari called to the _Chimeras_ cover that _Catapult_. Nannen and I can take care of these guys."

"Col. Aari, this is Captain Ramesh," said one of the _Chimera _pilots, "I'm afraid, I can't--"

"You can, and you will! I've got a man down, and he can't eject. Your PPCs ought to discourage them from getting too close, so see too it that they don't! I'm not paying you to argue!"

"Very well, Colonel. Charlie lance, protect the _Catapult_."

A _Phoenix Hawk_ then caught Aari's attention, as it got in close and began to chew on his _Marauder's _leg with its large pulse laser. Unimpressed, he lined up his crosshairs over its torso and fired a bolt of PPC. The _Phoenix Hawk_ shuddered from the blast, but seemed rather unimpressed with him as well. Its electronics were undoubtedly thrown for a loop, but at this close range, the pilot wouldn't need them. The armor he had sizzled showed the telltale charred web pattern where the lightning of his PPC had licked it, but showed little sign of serious damage to the internal structure.

He cursed and backed away from the _Phoenix_, realizing he was doing little to halt it. He started lasing off its armor in an attempt to distract it, when he realized he had seen this configuration before. It was the same model he had piloted years ago in the army, and it had most of its guns in the right arm. Aari grinned and blasted both of his PPCs into the right shoulder actuator of the PXH-3S.

"Got one of the buggers!" announced Hyper, as she blasted a smoking hole in the torso of the _Hunchback_. "Uh-oh… MOVE!" she yelped, as the reactor began to glow.

"You heard her! Back peddle!" cried Aari, as he turned a hard right and loped away from the 'Mech that lay some 500 meters from his position. "Audren, bail and start running! I'll cover you."

"Sir?!"

"You've gotta trust me!"

The hatch of the _Catapult_ flew open and a tiny, ant-like figure started making its way towards the complex. Col. Aari brought his 'Mech to a halt behind Audren and crouched down to act as a shield. The _Bushwhacker_, which had managed to stand up again during the fight, started taking pot shots at his back. Aari grit his teeth and hoped the reactor would take the aggressor and not him.

A deafening explosion echoed across the plain as a shockwave pushed his crouched BattleMech face down into the grass, sending a spray of dirt into the air. He was thrown forward with it, in spite of his seatbelt, and cracked the outer shell of his neuro-helmet against the console in front of him.

As soon as he could see past the black spots that danced teasingly in front of his eyes, he forced his battered _Marauder_ up and looked for the spot that was Audren. After a moment of searching, he located a small humanoid shape getting up off the ground.

"Whit, get a _Swiftwind _down here ASAP and pick up Audren! He's out of his 'Mech, about 100 meters from my position. Bring a paramedic, he may have been hit."

"Copy that. Paramedic and _Swiftwind_ are en route."


	5. Chapter 5 by RogueBaron

**Chapter V, by RogueBaron**

_**IBMU complex,  
**__**Irian, Free Worlds League,  
**__**April 11, 3068**_

"Regroup on me! Regroup on me!" Mario screamed on his comlink as laser, missile, and cannon rounds wheezed on his left and right. "Command, abort mission! Target is hot… repeat, target is hot!"

"Get to the pass… Now!" Chip hollered.

"Negative! They blocked the pass! Heavy mechs, mixed techs… Aargh! _Chingao_… Reneas is down, Blitzie and Garcia are still fighting but won't hold long!"

"Hang on, Mario! We'll plot another nav point!"

Two _Chimeras_ launched their missiles at the _Centurion_ trapped in the middle. One set came from behind, eating up the armor and tore open the internal structure. One set came from the right, exploding right on the _Centurion's_ prized autocannon. Chunks of armor and structures flew all over the place. Garcia went panic, firing his guns in all direction, then a massive blow knocked the _Centurion_ from the left, ripping its body apart from the shoulder to the waist. Its left hand was torn down to pieces. Garcia swung to the left to face the enemy, but the _Rifleman_ blasted its double cannons, chewing the stripped armor on the left torso. Explosions blossomed from the engine, tearing the torso apart.

"_Mierda!_ I lost Garcia!" Mario screamed, panic surged through his veins. "Blitzie, disengage and retreat! Blitzie! Do you read?"

"I'm gonna kill this _Marauder_!" Blitzie yelled back, raising both hands and traded fire with the _Marauder_. He knew the _Marauder_ was covering for its lance mate, and his bloodlust took control of his action. "How do you like this, huh? Eat my lead!" He fired off his AC10, lasers and missiles. The cannon missed, the laser connected to the torso, five missiles connected to limb. The _Marauder_ returned fire, PPC and laser bursts dug deep holes in Blitzie's left torso. The _Bushwacker_ twisted, almost getting knocked down. The armor on the left side was completely gone. Blitzie screamed and fired his autocannon and this time it hit the arm of the _Marauder_.

"Blitzie,_ pinche cabron_!" Mario fired his pulse laser to distract the heavy mech. "The _Marauder_ is not your match! Disengage and retreat – Now!"

Blitzie launched his missiles at the _Marauder_, then turned around but it was all too late. Multiple blasts from a _Loki_ threw him to the side, pushing him into a building with full force. A _Chimera_ joined the fray, scoring a hit with its MRM. Each missile exploded, taking off a piece of armor, severely weakened by the _Hunchback's_ explosion and the _Marauder's_ volleys. Blitzie fired off all weapons, making his heat gauge spike up. The laser hit the _Loki's_ torso, eating up a good chunk of armor. The _Loki_ returned fire with medium lasers to the arm. The arm was blown off, destroying Blitzie's beloved autocannon. Blitzie risked shutdown sequence by firing his large laser one more time, but his targeting had been destroyed. His laser went wide. The _Chimera_ raised both arms and launched alpha strike. Armor pieces flew in every direction as the _Bushwacker_ exploded in one huge fireball.

"Major, my lance has been wiped out!" Mario reported. "Where's my exit?"

"Alternate pick-up zone, two clicks from your position bearing – "

Before Chip finished his sentence, the _Marauder_ hit Mario with a well-placed PPC salvo to the shoulder. Warning sign blinked on the screen. Mario groaned while his lanky mech teetered backward, coping with the impact force of the particle cannon. He reconnected his comlink, but he heard only static.

"Major, come in… Major, do you read me?" he tried desperately to reestablish contact with Chip, but the last PPC blast had fried his communication system. Mario realized that he was completely cut off from the main group. Sweating, Mario kicked the MASC and maxed out the throttle. The _Phoenix Hawk_ sprinted to full speed, then Mario hit his jump jets. His stomach turned upside down as the 45-ton mech went airborne, showered by missiles and lasers from the defenders. Two shells ravaged his rear armor, limb, thrusting deep into the gyros. The _Phoenix Hawk_ shuddered hard while descending from the sky. It bled oil and fuel; steam hissed from several cracks on the back.

Mario's view was obscured by sweat and smoke, but he knew he had to keep running. As soon as he touched down, he brought his mech into full speed across the grassy plain, running blindly, until the defenders ceased to fire at him. Mario kept on running for some time, until he was far away from the factory complex. He arrived at a dry river, then dropped his mech on the river bed. He checked his radar, but he didn't see anything within 1-kilometer radius.

"Santa Maria, where the hell I am?" he thought while trying to establish connection to nearby satellite. But the _Marauder_ had destroyed his circuits. Alone and low on armor, Mario put his mech into a crouch, thinking what he should do next.


	6. Chapter 6 by Kat Wylder

**Chapter 6, by Kat Wylder**

_**IBMU Complex,  
**__**Irian, Free Worlds League,  
**__**April 11, 3068**_

"Nannen, Ramesh, sitrep!"

"We took some hits, Colonel, but we've got enough armor," reported Captain Ramesh.

"Still kickin' butt, sugar," Nannen said with a chuckle. "Although I think Davids might need to sit out the next round. That explosion blew the arm off his 'Mech."

"Copy," said Col. Aari, as he looked down at his radar. "Send him back for repairs. Blick, escort the _Swiftwind_ back to base. Hyper, you're with me."

"Roger."

"Sure thing, boss."

The _Marauder's_ comm crackled and a deep-voiced man announced, "That assault lance is moving out. Should we purse, Colonel?"

Aari chewed his lip for a moment, then pushed his beaten _Marauder_ towards the complex. "Okay, Jameson, but break off if there's more than a lance out there."

"Yes, sir."

"Nannen, you and the rest of your lance can fill in for Jameson."

"Roger that."

"Sir?" broke in Whit. "What about that _Phoenix Hawk_? It fled through the pass at full-tilt. It's outside our sensor range, but we have a _Nagareboshi_ ready to go."

"Okay, send out the hover, but don't get too close and don't have them stay long. The assault 'Mechs are our first priority right now," he said, as he started looking for targets. "Nannen take Jameson's place. Ramesh, run a perimeter check."

"Contact!" bellowed Jameson. "Visual on an _Awesome_, _Victor_, _Thanatos_, and _Black Knight_. The _BK_ and _Thanatos_ aren't showing up on scope. Watch yourselves."

"Thanks for the heads-up," replied Aari, as he weaved through the complex buildings.

Hyper loped along close behind, though she was undoubtedly eager to pull ahead and open fire. Rambunctious as she was, she always maintained good self-control on the field.

"Twenty… twenty-one… twenty-two…" Aari murmured, as he came in sight of the battle. By this time, Jameson's hard-hitting lance had softened up the enemy 'Mechs enough for him and Hyper to join the fray. "Hyper, you think you can help out with that _Thanatos_?"

She chuckled and darted ahead. "Just as soon as I can find it, boss."

Not a moment later, the said foe grazed the already damaged left torso of her _Loki_. Hyper turned swiftly to face it and bashed in its shoulder with a round of LBX fire. She was rocked back when the opposing machine drilled her with its pulse lasers, inducing a steady, _thump, thump_ on the less damaged side of her 'Mech.

Col. Aari grinned as went to passive sensors and strafed around behind the _Thanatos_. As machine developed to sweep through opposing forces by crushing everything ahead of them, BattleMechs were not well armored in the rear.

"Hyper, sidestep," he ordered, as he fingered the trigger.

She complied, but kept up her fire in order to keep the enemy's attention. As soon as the heavy 'Mech's back was square to Aari, he pulled back on the trigger, unleashing an alpha strike that shoved the 75-ton beast forward. One of its dog-like legs bent in a strange manner, suffering from the effects of a larger laser shot to the back of the knee and the disruption of its circuitry due to the PPCs.

"Beautiful!" Hyper said cheerily, as she shot out the knee actuator. The LBX round punched a visible hole in the joint and sent the Thanatos to the ground. As it fell, an ejection pod rocketed out of the small cockpit. The angle of the pod's flight carried it little more than horizontal to the ground for about 500 meters, before it lost altitude and started to dip towards the ground.

"Looks like we won't have to worry about picking that one up," muttered Aari, as he trotted off to match PPCs with the Black Knight.

"They're falling back," said Jameson, as he hammered away on the _Awesome_.

"Keep on them! I don't want these guys coming back for another round later!" Aari barked. "Hyper, push the _Awesome_ back towards Jameson's guns."

She gave a brief but enthusiastic affirmative, then pushed her throttle up to maximum and strafed the assault 'Mech, as ordered.

The _Victor_ was being punished by the autocannon of the _Mauler_ in Jameson's lance and its comrade _Zeus_. The _Black Knight_ was engaged with a _Hellcat_.

"Need some help, kid?" Aari asked the _Hellcat_ pilot. The young man was one of the three new recruits, and he had a peculiar surname that kept slipping Aari's mind.

"Wojciechowski, sir," said the pilot with a good-natured chuckle. "And yeah, I'll take that offer. My rotary AC keeps jamming."

Battered as it was, Aari's _Marauder_ still boasted impressive firepower, bearing two PPCs compared to the _Black Knight_'s one. He caught the enemy's attention with a blast from one PPC. As he lowered his targeting reticule over the 'Mech to fire the other, he was surprised to see a burst of flame spew out of the _Hellcat_'s torso and engulf the enemy is a torrent of flame. The _Black Knight's_ heat sinks were already near their saturation point when the flamer hit, so the vented plasma promptly forced a shutdown.

"Nice job," said Aari approvingly. He decided to forgo trying to pronounce the MechWarrior's name.

"Thanks, I--"

"Colonel," broke in Capt. Ramesh. "We just spotted a group of scout 'Mechs trying to make off through the pass. Should we engage?"

Aari twisted his _Marauder's_ torso hard to the right and began gobbling up the armor of the nearby _Victor_ with his large laser, before it decided to make a meal of him. "Affirmative, but don't go into the pass. It may be a setup. Nannen, give them some fire support."

The two commanders gave a quick reply as they began raining down fire on the fleeing scouts. Aari chuckled to himself, as he and the other pilots continued dancing around the now crippled _Victor_. As the humanoid assault 'Mech went down and the pilot ejected, he opened a wide-band channel.

"I don't know who you guys are," he said, "but you better get one thing straight. You're gonna have to get up a lot earlier in the morning to outsmart the Scimitars. So, I suggest you either pack up or sign up with us, 'cause you're _not_ gonna win this."


	7. Chapter 7 by RogueBaron

**Chapter VII, by RogueBaron**

_**  
Irian Plain,  
**__**Irian, Free Worlds League,  
**__**April 11, 3068**_

Trough his binoculars Mario watched pillars of smoke rose up from the IBMU complex, ten clicks away from his position. His power scope was not strong enough to pick up the wreckages, but he was certain most of the smoke came from the Screaming Eagles. The defending mechs were strong and well organized, and even though Major Chip Taylor always pulled the Eagles out of bad situations in the past, the chance of him doing it again was bleak.

Contrary to the information provided by the FedCom, the defending mechs were strong and well organized. This made Mario wonder: Why wasn't FedCom aware of this development? Why weren't they informed that the defenders were, in fact, heavy mechs with up-to-date technologies? Or, most disturbingly, did FedCom know about this fact? If they did, then what was the purpose of sending the Screaming Eagles to Irian with false information? Did FedCom have a hidden agenda?

Mario reached his pocket. He still had an operational portable comlink, but he paused a moment before pressing the button. The defending party could pick up his signal and pinpoint his location. But considering his situation, Mario didn't have many options. He dared himself to click the 'talk' button and put on general frequency, "Command Lance, this is Mario Cruz… can you read me? Command Lance, please respond."

The portable comlink only burst out static. Mario folded the radio in exasperation and walked back toward his mech that he hid on a dry riverbed. Suddenly several _Harassers_ emerged from behind a hill and quickly closed in his position. Mario ran as fast as he could toward his mech, but he couldn't beat the _Harassers_. The hover tanks blocked his way to his mech, and three more _Savannah Masters_ surrounded him.

"On your knees!" somebody ordered through the external speaker. "Hit the grass, or we'll open fire!"

Mario saw no other choice. He knelt on the grass. The hatch of the _Savannah Masters_ popped open, and half a dozen men with guns climbed out and pushed him to the ground. From the corner of his eyes Mario saw that these guys didn't wear Marik uniforms, just before they rooted his arms behind his back, and covered his head with a cloth bag. They forced him to get up and dragged him into one of the vehicle. Mario couldn't see, but he knew the guys drove him somewhere. His guess was they were bringing him to their HQ.

After a long ride, the vehicle stopped and several guys heaved Mario out of the chamber. They pushed him and made him walk, and after a while, they forced him to sit on a chair. They bound his arms and legs on the chair, then took the bag off his head. Mario saw a man and a woman standing in front of him. The man was in his mid thirties, well built with brown hair and eyes. The woman was in early twenties, petite with short yellow hair, but she reflected the same confidence as the man. He could only guess that they were the leaders of this group, whatever it was.

"You don't look like a Marik agent," the man asked. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

It was a good sign, because at least these guys didn't work for the Free World. But they could be working for anybody, so Mario chose to be careful about revealing his contract with FedCom. "My name is Mario Cruz, Screaming Eagles mercenary unit."

The woman hit him in the face. "Who are you working for?" she snarled.

"My name is Mario Cruz of the Screaming Eagles mercenary unit."

She hit him again, this time with a full fist. "Who are you working for? Where are your friends?"

Mario licked the blood on his lips, "My name is Mario Cruz of the Screaming Eagles mercenary unit. Whatever you're doing, you're doing at the wrong man. So stop wasting time with me and let me go."

The woman raised her arm, but the man stopped her. "Enough! He might be of use for us! Throw him into the brig! Let see how he deals with starvation."

Two muscular soldiers released Mario from the chair and dragged him on a long corridor, until they arrived at the jail. There are dozens other prisoners that stared at him, most of them were wearing Marik uniforms. So Mario learnt that this group was anti Marik, which might work for his advantage. But he opted to observe more before he decided to reveal his contract with the FedCom.

The soldiers opened up a cell and threw Mario into it, locking him together with an old man. The old man stared blankly straight ahead, didn't care about Mario. Mario sighed and buried his head between his knees, wondering what might happen next.


	8. Chapter 8 by Kat Wylder

**Chapter VIII, by Kat Wylder**

_**  
Scimitar Temp. HQ,  
**__**Irian, Free Worlds League,  
**__**April 12, 3068**_

Colonel Aari heaved a sigh as he walked out of the infirmary and started peeling the bandages off his forehead.

"Ken, for the last time, will you _stop_ doing that?" Nannen scolded as she trotted up beside him. She thwacked his wrist and frowned. "Honestly, you're like a little kid."

Aari yielded and replaced the dressing. "Okay, okay," he grumbled. "Hey, how's Audren doing?"

"Oh, he'll be fine in a day or two. Amazingly, he was only a little beat up-- no major injuries. Speakin' of-- good work out there."

Aari simply nodded. He still couldn't believe that actually worked, but it was a brilliant stroke of fate. Losing another MechWarrior right now would be very bad for morale, in addition to the obvious tragedy. "Is everyone ready for the briefing?" he asked finally.

"Yep. Just waitin' on you, sugar."

The two continued down the corridor of the old radar station to what served as a briefing room. All of the IBMU complex buildings were occupied at the moment, so their employers had cleaned out a previously abandoned firebase and its surrounding facilities. The field nearby was wide and flat, and provided a nice landing space for the company's dropships. That was a benefit he was most glad to have, considering how quickly the opposing forces had shown up earlier.

"You made it," observed Jameson. He leaned back in his chair and smiled as Aari and Nannen walked into the room. Whit sat to his right and Major Farthings, the armor was seated in his left. Ramesh, the only absent member, was out on patrol.

"Evening, kids," Aari said with a chuckle as he and Nannen each took a chair.

Whit nodded and cleared his throat. "Uh, sir? I… have some… bad news. Our _Nagereboshi_ found the escaping 'Mech. Unfortunately, a group of _Harassers_ found it, too."

"The pilot got out of his 'Mech and made a wide-band transmission," said Farthings, "but the _Harassers_ jumped out and ordered him to surrender."

"So, I'm guessing those weren't his friends. The FWL?"

"No, sir," she said. "We already asked the defenders and local PD. They don't know anything about it, and there were no insignias on the tanks. We did get the MechWarrior's transmission. He identified himself as Mario Cruz and tried to raise 'Command Lance' over the comm. We didn't pick up any response, and I don't think he did, either."

Nannen chuckled. "Well, this is interesting. I'm guessing we'll be doubled up on patrols, from now on."

Col. Aari nodded. "We still don't know who the attackers were or how many of them are left in the field. Now we have to watch out for the group commanding those tanks… Whit, see if the local defenders know anything about this unmarked group, and get an extended terrain map. As soon as you find anything on the attackers or the rogues, send the _Nagereboshi_ out on recon. Farthings, I want the _Drillsons_ out on perimeter duty."

"Will do," she chimed.

"Until this contract is over, I need two MechWarriors on garrison duty at all times. When Ramesh's lance gets back in, we can set up a shift chart. In the meantime, I'm going to go have atalk with out 'guests'."

"Better be careful," said Jameson with a grumbly chuckle. "The more vocal one says he wants a piece of 'the jerk in the _Marauder_.' He said a few other things that I decline to repeat."

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

"If you don't let me outta here, right now, I'll--!"

"You'll what? Annoy me to death?" Hyper chuckled and smiled, as she tilted the piece of scrap she held back towards her face like a tanning mirror. "Hm, this place really isn't so bad. Kinda 'meh', but not bad."

"When we get out of here, you're going to get it good, girl."

"Oh, you're going to get something for me?" she giggled. "You're too sweet." Hyper grinned and turned back away from the fuming prisoner and grinned wickedly. Guard duty was so much fun sometimes.

"Give it a rest, Blitzie," said one of the pilots from the scout lance. "They're not going to let us out any time soon."

"That all depends," Col. Aari said, as he walked across the field to the garage-turned-brig. "If you cooperate, I might be willing to let bygones be bygones. If you don't I might just keep you here awhile longer, or I could turn you over to the FWL…"

Before anyone else could respond, a young woman spoke up. "Can't speak for them, but I don't want to deal with the Mariks."

"What are you doing?!" growled another.

"Quiet!" Aari growled. He turned to the young woman. "Does the name Mario Cruz ring a bell?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "He's the lance-leader for Fire Lance."

"Shut up!" growled Blitzie, grabbing the bars between their cells.

"I'm not telling him anything classified, you idiot!" she shot back.

"Does Cruz or your company have any enemies around here? Any that might have dropped by Irian recently?" continued Aari.

The young woman looked a little confused and shook her head. "Not that I know of."

Aari frowned and chewed his lip, as he turned and walked back across the field. This was even more of a puzzle. If there was no one on Irian who had a reason to capture the MechWarrior, then the Scimitars could be targeted as well. This was situation was growing less enjoyable by the minute. The IMBU never warned them of any rogue groups, rebels, or pirates. A third mercenary company was unlikely, but it was a possibility.

"Blick," he called, as he walked into the building that served as a barracks. "Get your gear, we're going on a little field trip."


	9. Chapter 9 by RogueBaron

**Chapter IX, by RogueBaron**

**Note: **Sorry for the delayed update. We both have new schedules, and both are caught up with our own pet projects, so this story is a bit 'sidetracked'. But we don't completely forget about this. So here there are. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

_**Irian, Free Worlds League,  
**__**April 14, 3068**_

Mario lost track of space and time. All he saw was the same bay, the same old man who still refused to say anything to him. His hunger and thirst was denied by the guards. By the end of the third day, he started hallucinating. The images of his lance getting blown up by Marik soldiers haunted him, and it kept him awake through most part of the night.

However, by the end of the third day two soldiers came in and dragged him out of his cell. They put him at an empty cell and threw water at him. Mario licked the water as much as he could, and after half an hour, he came to his senses. The big man and the petite woman entered the cell, and they let Mario roam the cell without restraint, which Mario took it as good news.

"We intercepted radio communications from a mercenary unit hired by the Free World," the big man said. "They were looking for a Mario Cruz, CO of fire lance of Screaming Eagles. Isn't it the name you claimed to be yours?"

"I told you that you got the wrong person," Mario replied.

"Why does the Free World want you?" the woman tuned in.

Mario was tired, hungry, and didn't see the point continuing his resistance. This group was clearly not associated with Free World. So he opened up, "The Screaming Eagles are contracted by the FedCom to download information from IBMU. According to FedCom's planetary recon, the complex was lightly guarded. It wasn't, and my lance was torn apart."

"Had you told us earlier, you wouldn't have to be hungry," she said in a timid tone.

"How do I know you're not one of them?" Mario grunted. "Who are you people?"

"We are just a group of IBMU hater," the big man explained. "My name is Goran, I am the anointed leader. This is Ilsa, my girlfriend and my right hand."

"What's up with you and the IBMU?" Marion couldn't suppress his curiosity.

"Let's just say we don't like the factory too close to our home," Goran mentioned. "They dump a lot of factory waste to waters, making people sick."

"Well maybe we can work together," Mario suggested. "After all, we're fighting the same enemy. You help me download the information, I help you attack their plant."

"Attack their plant, huh?" Ilsa chuckled. "How? Throwing stones?"

"Have you forgotten that I still have a mech?"

"The Scimitars have it," she replied. "It's the mercenary unit hired by the Mariks to garrison IBMU. It's a strong unit, consists mainly of heavies. You'll need a regiment before you can think of attacking IBMU. But we agree with you, we can help each other."

"Scimitars _Nagereboshi_ and _Drillsons_ are crawling over the field, looking for you," Goran said. "We'll wait until they recall their patrols. Then we'll hijack IBMU transports to get inside the plant. You can get whatever information you need, and rescue your friends if they're still alive. Whatever information it is, just make sure you use it to hurt the IBMU."

"Sounds good," Mario grinned. "How many of you can pilot a mech?"

"Three: Ilsa and two other technicians, but she is the only one capable of fighting. The techs drive them only for testing purposes. Why?"

"There should be plenty of new mechs lying around inside IBMU. If we're going inside, might as well steal some. You can get yourself a battlemech lance. I can teach you basic functions of battlemech weaponries, so you can use it to fight."

"In exchange of what?" Ilsa mused.

"Transportation out of Irian."

Goran and Ilsa looked at each other. "I like this kid," Goran stated.

"Then let's get him fed," Ilsa smiled, cueing Mario to follow her. "Come! It's not a'la carte, but you'll be surprised how tasty the food is."


	10. Chapter 10 by KatWylder

**Chapter X, by Kat Wylder**

_**Irian, Free Worlds League  
**__**April 14, 3068**_

"I don't like this," Colonel Aari muttered as he trotted along in his mostly-refitted _Marauder_. Blick followed closely in his _Dragon_, constantly torso-twisting back and forth to scan the horizon. "Something catch your eye?"

"Not yet, sir," Blick replied in the same stiff, humorless tone that seemed to be his trademark. His records showed three years service in a two-lance mercenary unit , cut short when the contracts dried up. He wasn't academy green and he had never served under a regular unit, but his strict attitude certainly seemed indicative of one.

"Well, we ran all the patrol points twice. May as well head back," said Aari, as he slowed his heavy chassis to a plodding walk. He switched his comm frequency and opened a line to Whit. "Any word yet from the Irian PD on our friends in the _Harassers_?"

"No, Colonel," the tac officer replied with a frustrated sigh. "But they did try to butter me up in regards to the prisoners."

Aari chuckled. "Aren't you lucky that's not your decision? I want them right where they are for the time being. I think I've got a plan to flush these rogues out of their hole. In the mean time I want to check out that riverbed."

"You got it, sir. Uploading as Nav Epsilon."

The Colonel throttled up to cruising speed again and turned towards the pass. "The _Harassers_ won't leave tracks, but they may have left some other trail. Maybe ruts from a salvage track, or something," he said to Blick.

"Actually, sir, all hovercraft leave a trail of crushed foliage. It looks something like the spots left in a field when a chopper lands," he observed. "I doubt it's still visible, but it might be worth parking our 'Mechs for a minute."

"Good point." Aari scanned the pass warily as they entered, watching for a trap or anything suspicious. Something didn't add up. The Scimitars had been powered down, but it would take a pretty shoddy intel job not to detect them. The scorch marks in the field from the dropship's engines ought to have been a tip that there were a few extra defenders.

The remainder of Cruz's unit wasn't a problem right now, other than the annoying fact that they were costing Aari money. The big problem was finding the group that took Cruz. Logic suggested that if they abducted Cruz, they were either his personal enemies or for some reason supporting the IBMU. The latter didn't make much sense. It wasn't often that unofficial groups took action to protect something like a factory, especially when a competent mercenary unit was babysitting it.

After several more minutes of unexciting travel, the riverbed came into view. Aari pushed his _Marauder's_ throttle and darted forward with Blick in tow. The pair loped down into the dry rut and stopped.

"I guess I'll volunteer," said Blick. He put his 'Mech into a crouch, powered down, and opened the cockpit hatch.

Aari moved back from his subordinate's _Dragon_ and took up a defensive stance. "Looks clear, Blick. Go ahead."

"Roger."

The small humanish figure slipped out of the cockpit, down the ladder, and began wandering around the riverbed. The Colonel kept looking back from Blick's vague form to his sensors, and then to the terrain. Eventually, Blick climbed back up into his 'Mech.

"There are some tread marks around here, but I can tell right now from the direction that it was our patrols. The _Harassers_ probably made off through this dry riverbed to conceal their movements. We'll just have to follow it to find them, sir."

"Whit, how long is this river?" Aari asked, as he hit the comm.

"I think it's uh, lemme see the map… About 15 kilometers, sir. Give or take," the man reported.

A search like this would have to be done on the ground, which meant pulling out patrol forces. Considering that the Irians themselves didn't know about this group, a 'Mech patrol probably wouldn't find them unless the _Harassers_ were active.

"Well, I didn't really want to do this, but I guess it's our best choice… Blick, let's head back."

"Sir?"

"I'll tell you about it when we're back on base."

* * *

"Jameson's lance reports no activity on scope," chimed Whit.

"Roger that. Proceeding en route to Nav Alpha."

"Copy that, Wojciechowski," the Colonel said, having finally mastered pronunciation of the man's name. "Aari, out."

"'Woj' will do just fine, sir. Out."

Aari watched as the confiscated _Locust_ started off, then throttled up his own 'Mech to thieving speed and ran laterally across the low, boring landscape. Audren was still out of action, so Blick and Hyper paired up and headed off in the opposite direction.

"Hope this works," he muttered, as he watched the severely battered scout shrink into the distance. It was growing dark and rather cold at this hour, which seemed like the perfect time for an escaped, damaged 'Mech to venture into the open.

"Farthings here, sir. Our _Nagereboshi_ just returned. Still no sign of the rogues."

"Roger that. Keep running your patrol patterns."


	11. Chapter 11 by RogueBaron

**Chapter XI, by RogueBaron**

_**Irian, Free Worlds League  
April 15, 3068**_

"Is it coming or not?" Mario sighed, shifting uncomfortably in the confined space inside the _Harasser_. "We've been sitting here for hours, and there's no sign about IBMU supply convoy. Are you sure that it's scheduled for today's delivery?"

"Delivery can be late, Mister Cruz," Goran grumbled his reply. It's not uncommon, especially after your vain attack. They should raise their security. Perhaps if you approached the complex with a bit of patience, you had accomplished your mission."

"_Usted no tienne cojones!_" Mario hissed, almost undecipherable.

"What? What did you say?" Ilsa snarled, aware that Mario was calling them names.

"Nothing," Mario leaned on his seat. "Just talking to myself."

"At least we have _cojones_ to not say things behind other's back!" Ilsa mumbled.

Mario's ears felt sizzling, mostly from embarrassment, but a bit from rage. He had no idea that she could understand what he was saying, and to safe his face, he coined bravado, "So what if I want to speak things my way?"

"Quiet!" suddenly Goran yelled. "My radar picks up a mech signature… Looks like a lone _Locust_."

"_Locust_?" Mario snapped his head. "Is it my lance mate?"

"At this condition, it was hard to establish visual contact," Goran throttled up slowly. "Although it is a possibility. It is wandering alone in the riverbed, most likely avoiding Marik's radar."

"Radio contact?" Ilsa suggested.

"It's better if we wait until we know what we're up against. It could be Marik's patrol, although we know the Scimitar does not have a _Locust_."

It was just about five minutes after midnight that the Harasser's radar picked up the _Locust's_ condition. It was scarred, a real testament of the ferocity of the battle it endured. Nevertheless, the lone _Locust_ kept tiptoeing on the dry riverbed, swinging its torso left and right, either watching for possible enemies or looking for its friends. As it came nearer, the bright Screaming Eagles logo became more and more apparent.

"Looks like one of yours," Goran picked up the comlink. "Rogue _Locust_, identify yourself. We are not from the Free World League. We will not harm you."

When there was no sign of the _Locust_ would answer, Mario snatched the comlink from Goran's hand and addressed the lone mech, "Hey, it's Mario! I'm with these people. Don't be afraid, I'm among friends. They hate the Mariks too!"

Still it didn't answer.

"What do we do now?" Ilsa asked with a glint of nervousness in her voice.

"The radio could be broken. We box it quickly but don't make weapon contact. It's only armed with two machine guns and a medium laser. Nothing can hurt us. Show our friendly but firm attitude, and force the pilot to exit."

Goran throttled up to full speed, followed by other _Harassers_ and _Savannah Masters_. Upon seeing the hovercrafts, the _Locust_ backpedaled, showering them with machine guns, but shied away from using its medium laser.

"Unidentified _Locust_, we are friends of Mario Cruz," Goran put his voice to the external speaker. "Do not be afraid. We are not going to harm you…"

Before his lips dried up, the proximity alarm squealed. Goran only had a second to realize that dozens of missiles raced toward his _Harasser_. He stepped on the accelerator, but it was too late. The missiles slammed into the canopy, tearing everything inside.

Lucky for Mario, he was sitting on the passenger seat behind Goran. Broken glasses and metal splinters pillaged his face as the _Harasser_ spun out of control, turning his stomach upside down. It hovered for a while until it skidded to a stop, bringing Mario smashing against the driver's seat. For a moment Mario was torn between reality and unconsciousness, until the smell of smoke awakened him.

Explosions thundered on his left and right, and Mario could see the hovercrafts scrambled something at the front. He could feel the ground shaking from mech treading, and by the magnitude of the quake, he knew they came from mechs much bigger than the _Locust_. It was Scimitar's ambush.

Still groggy by the explosion, Mario climbed out of the smoking _Harasser_, holding his bruised head. He averted his eyes from what was left of Goran. The direct impact of the missiles did not spare much of him. Ilsa was sitting beside him, moaning in pain, still oblivious to what happened to her boyfriend. With every bit of energy he could muster, Mario pulled Ilsa out of the wreckage.

"No – Goran!" Ilsa writhed against him, trying to get back to the hover tank.

"There's nothing you can do," Mario pulled her, keeping her from seeing Goran.

"No, he needs me!" Ilsa was still muzzy. "Goran! The tank's gonna blow! Get out of there!"

"He's dead, Ilsa! There's nothing we can do!"

Just then, the tank exploded, pushing both of them to the ground.

"No!" Ilsa screamed, but Mario covered her under his body, saving her from debris rain. Some of the burning chips set up minor fire at the back of his jacket, but he quickly stripped and tossed it aside.

"Come on, we have to run," he grabbed Ilsa's hand and hauled it. Bullets whizzed and ricocheted all over the place. Mario felt his legs were about to breach from running and taking Ilsa. From the corner of his eyes he watched the hover tanks valiantly, but hopelessly, took on a group of mechs, where the _Locust_ was nowhere to be seen.


	12. Chapter 12 by KatWylder

**Chapter XII, by Kat Wylder**

_**Irian, Free Worlds League  
April 15, 3068**_

As soon as the rogues were clustered together in a nice little grouping, the Scimitars opened fire. The first missile salvo launched ripped into the canopy of the lead _Harasser_. The bright glow of missile tails forced Colonel Aari to disengage his light amplification and switch to his spot light. On the fringe of the artificial disk of light, he caught some movement near the flaming hover tank. Once he turned to get at better glimpse, however, it vanished. It was only some figment.

"Power down you vehicles and surrender!" Aari commanded as he trained his guns on one of the mobile _Harassers_. The brazen vehicle crews ignored his demand and began to fire on the three 'Mechs.

"Hey!" he snapped, as a one of the hovercraft peppered his armor with SRM fire. He had no choice but to remain inside the range of their missiles or the fast craft would take off. There was no way he and the two heavy 'Mechs with him could catch up to fleeing hovers. "Don't make me smoke any more of you! All we want is Cruz!"

A muddled voice barked back over the comm, "You --an't ha-- him! Blo-- mer--! We--"

He cut off the stubborn tirade with a round of laser fire. The pontoon-like sides of the _Harasser_ melted apart from the main body, destabilizing the craft. Its right side dipped sharply and dug itself into the ground. Two of the _Savannah Masters_ skirted past the feet of his thundering BattleMech and down through the dry riverbed. Blick loosed a salvo of LRM-10s, which quickly caught up and then crashed into one of the fleeing hovercraft. Aari kicked the other light tank in its aft side with a PPC and then a sling of pulse laser fire An angry but incomprehensible outburst flooded the comm.

The tankers refused to go silently, which left Aari with one very regretful decision to make. He sighed and punched the lance frequency. "Hyper, Blick… Take 'em out."

The _Loki_ that Hyper piloted seemed for an instant to pause. Once the initial hesitation was over, she tilted her 'Mech's torso downward and cleaved off the back half of a _Harasser_ with her laser. Blick punched several rounds into this own prey, and within minutes, the rogues were no more.

Aari gave a little grunt of dissatisfaction. He had hoped things would go peacefully, but the zealous tankers wouldn't have it. "Whit," he said, "it's clear. You can send in salvage and a the medics."

"Roger that, sir. You think any of them survived?"

"I don't know. I thought I saw some movement down there. It's hard to tell from up here--especially at night," he said as his _Marauder_ stomped through the dried up riverbed. If anyone was out there, they would probably be unwittingly crushed underfoot of one of the 'Mechs. That was unfortunate, but it was a cold reality just like the one that forced him to destroy all of the tanks. He sighed and hit the comm again. "Hey, Woj, you read any activity on scope? I've got nothing on my sensors."

"Nope. It's all clear, Colonel," reported the MechWarrior. "It looks like we got them all."

"Yeah. Nice acting, there."

"Thanks, sir."

"I'm going to stick around and watchdog the salvage team. You, Hyper, and Blick can head back to base."

"That's a relief," Woj sighed. "I like my _Hellcat_ a lot better than this little bugger."

"Hey, you sure you don't want some company, boss? I've got nothing better to do," said Hyper. "Extra pair of eyes."

Aari twisted to face the _Loki_. "Sure. You can go clockwise, and I'll go counter-clockwise." He throttled up and began tracing the circumference of the salvage area at a cruising speed.

Hyper mirrored his movements, while Blick and Woj moved side-by-side back to the HQ. The lights of the complex were distant and partially obscured by the walls of the pass, cutting down the artificial light and letting the stars shine with little competition but the fires burning on the _Harasser_ carcasses.

He regretted the fight, but at least one thing was clear. This rogue group had been working with Mario Cruz on some level. That didn't quite add up, considering they had threatened to blow him apart at their first meeting, which only brought more questions. Did the groups reconcile their differences, or was he forced by his captors to try and coax the _Locust_ into laying down its arms? Either way, the important thing was that Cruz was probably dead with the rest of them. Whether they were good, bad, or stupid didn't make a gram of difference, and that was fine with the Colonel. He had one less thing to worry about, now.

Two pairs of lights appeared in the pass and the salvage team rolled up to the damage zone. Aari and Hyper widened the perimeter, slowed, and then stopped roughly opposite one another. The _Marauder_ took point on the level land some 100 meters from the bank, while the _Loki_ was backed up a short distance on the slope of the ridge. Once the 'Mechs were in position, the vehicles came to a stop as well and the crews filed out to attend to business.

"Colonel," said one of the medics, "we found a survivor. He's pretty messed up, but I think he'll make it."

"Good. Load him up and start taking care of him. Have the others keep looking."

"Yes, sir."

A little relief washed over him. In addition to easing his conscience a little, this man might be able to provide some answers once the medics fixed him up. The remnants of the Screaming Eagles hadn't been much help, thus far. Their CO was one of those killed in the first engagement, and the others didn't seem to know too much about their assignment. Get in, download some files, and leave. Who their employer was had apparently been left out pf the briefing, or else they were all playing dumb.

"Colonel?" Whit's voice crackled on the comm. "Uh, the IBMU execs want to talk to you about this little incident."

"Tell 'em there's nothing to discuss. They want their precious complex to stay nice and secure, and that's what we're doing. …And you can also tell them that I expect to be reimbursed for this 'little incident'."

"The local PD also wants to talk to you. They want custody of any of the rogues we pick up."

He replied with a tired grunt. "Any chance we can convince them otherwise?"

"Legally, sir? Uh… not that I can think of. They're being pretty insistent."

Suddenly a new voice filtered over the radio. "Listen, Colonel, the other mercs were your problem. These guys are _our_ problem. If you've been enjoying your stay on Irian, I suggest you hand them over without giving us grief about it."

"…Fine. But I want to know what was going on between them and that Cruz fellow."

"Deal."


	13. Chapter 13 by RogueBaron

**Chapter XIII, by RogueBaron**

_**  
Irian, Free World League,  
April 15, 3068**_

Mario's raging breath raced with his feet as he dragged Ilsa out of the dry riverbed, ducking under raining pebbles and debris that occasionally hammered his head. The explosions became scarcer, and the rhythmical thumps of battlemech's feet told him that the Scimitars were looking out for survivors. Mario was not particularly fit, but the fear gave him a near supersoldier strength. He carried Illsa on his back for almost fifteen minutes, then ducked behind a lump of dirt, gasping for air.

"Goran!" Ilsa moaned, fighting the headache and the constant ringing in her ears. "We can't leave Goran..."

"He's dead," Mario held her, "the Scimitars took him out. I'm sorry."

"Oh my God," she cried, sinking her head between her knees. "Is there any other survivors?"

"I don't know," Mario panted. "The Scimitars used the _Locust_ to set up an ambush, and we walked right into it. I should've known it was a trap. I should've seen it coming."

Ilsa didn't responded. The loss of Goran was devastating enough that her mind shut down. Goran had been her confidant and her source of energy for the last few years, and the thought of continuing the life without him was almost unbearable. She cried silently, biting her lips to muffle her sobs, and let the time passed by until Mario put his hand over her shoulder, shaking her gently, "We have to move."

"There's no point anymore," she huffed apathetically. "If you want to go, then go. Just leave me alone."

"We have to move, or Goran's death will have no meaning," Mario said. "We have to find that convoy, infiltrate the mech factory, and finish the mission. It'll hurt the Mariks and Scimitars the way the could have never imagined."

"You mercenary dog!" suddenly Ilsa fumed. "How could you talk about money after everything? If you think I will take part in your quest for glory, you are sadly mistaken! Get out of my face!"

"Do you think this is about money?" Mario yelled back. "The Scimitars minced my unit and butchered my lance mates! You're nuts if you think I still do this for money! I don't care about money anymore! I will finish this mission, because whatever inside that complex is critical for the Mariks, or the Word of Blake that they're hosting. Leaking that information to the AFFC will hurt them more than what I can possibly do with battlemechs. And I think that's what Goran wants you to do too."

"Don't you dare saying his name!" Ilsa snarled. "You have no right saying his name with your filthy mouth!"

"Look, if you want to stay here and mourn, be my guest. But mourning will not bring him back. Nothing will bring him back. All we can do is to maintain his legacy. I can't do it alone. I need you to finish this mission."

As much as Ilsa thought that Mario was a heartless pig, she knew his words held the truth. There was nothing she could accomplish by crying over Goran's loss. She had to move on, and the only way to make Goran's death memorable was to turn her grief into vengeance. She shot a fiery stare at Mario, letting her wrath evaporated through her eyes, then sunk in and sighed, "What's your plan?"

"First, we need more men," Mario got up and scanned the vicinity. Let's scurry the area to find more survivors. Then let's wait for the convoy. If it's already get in the complex, then we'll wait for the next one. We'll wait for as long as it takes, because it's the only way we can get into the complex. As soon as we get in, we'll download the damn information and get out. Hopefully we can find something that can get us out of this planet."

"What if there is nothing to get us out?" Ilsa scoffed.

"You have a better idea?" Mario retorted.

Ilsa shook her head in defeat.

"Fine, then. Let's try to round up survivors."

Together they waited until dusk, then walked cautiously toward their last encounter with the Scimitars. Remnants of smitten _Harassers_ littered the place, and the stench of burning flesh floated in the area. Ilsa recognized the _Harasser_ she spent her last moment with Goran, and she walked by to pay her last homage, but Mario caught her hand and dragged her away from the site. "You don't want to remember him that way," he whispered. Ilsa knew what he meant, so she just blew a kiss from the distance, then followed Mario to find more survivors.

But it was clear that the Scimitars had swept the place clean. There were no signs of survivors, so after a while Mario and Ilsa abandoned the idea of survivors and walked to find a refuge. Ilsa's knowledge of the vicinity helped them to find the main road, so they found a place to hide overseeing the road. They were t hungry, and they had not slept for almost two days, but they could not make themselves to rest. The anxiety to find the convoy kept them restless for most of the night.

"What makes them late, do you think?" Ilsa asked while sitting next to Mario.

"I don't know," Mario closed his eyes. "Maybe it's security reason. IBMU might intentionally delay the convoy to make sure the complex is safe from us. Or maybe it's just an unfortunate delay."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Ilsa whispered. "I should've thanked you for saving my life. I was just… shocked."

"I know," Mario replied. "Let's forget about it and focus on what we'll do next."

And lucky for them, when the night was almost over, a distinct rumbling reverberated in the solemn dawn. The strands of light from the truck's spotlights illuminated the dark road in the distance. A lance of _Pegassus_ hovertanks led the convoy and a lance of LRM carriers guarded the rear end of the convoy, consisted of 8 trucks in a single column.

"There it is, the damn convoy," Ilsa hissed. "The _Pegassus_ and the LRM Carriers are spread wide enough for us to hitchhike the trucks in the middle without being noticed. But we have to run fast. Are you ready?"

"Ready," Mario nodded. "For Goran."

"For Goran," Ilsa took several deep breaths and started running. "Let's go!"

They broke into a sprint, keeping their heads low and zigzagging their way to avoid being noticed. The convoy rolled with moderate speed, slow enough for Mario and Ilsa to catch up. Ilsa got to the truck first, and quick as a cat she hauled herself up to the top of the truck. Mario arrived later, running as fast as he could but having a hard time catching up with the truck. He grabbed a lever on the truck, his breath stuck in his throat as he strained to heave himself up, but in the end managed to climb to the top.

"I almost think you won't make it," Ilsa commented upon Mario's arrival.

"Your prejudice is most annoying," Mario panted, his face reddened with embarrassment. "We can rest for a while until we arrive at the complex."


	14. Chapter 14 by Kat Wylder

**Chapter XIV, by Kat Wylder  
**

_**  
Scimitar Temp. HQ,  
Irian, Free World League,  
April 16, 3068**_

Aari yawned drearily and slumped down in one of the rather uncomfortable chairs in the break room. He yawned again as he rubbed some more of the sleep from his eyes and stared down into his coffee mug.

"Hello, morning…" he muttered and took a swig of the bitter drink. "Blech."

"Want some cream with that?" asked Jameson, as he walked in and began filling his own mug.

"Nah. If it tasted good, it wouldn't wake me up." He rested his chin on his fist and looked up at the clock. It read precisely two minutes to five, local time. Duty called, as well as his pay-check, but that didn't mean he was happy to be up so early. Oh-dark-hundred was not an hour he liked to visit, and especially not after pulling an all-nighter.

He took another sip of his coffee, wrinkled his nose again, and looked up at Jameson. "You know what my favorite part of this job is?"

"Blowing up all kinds of crap?" asked the deep-voiced man with an equally deep chuckle.

Aari shook his head. "The jumps. 'Cause I can spend all day sleeping and playing canasta."

Jameson took a seat opposite from Aari and rocked back a little. "Things have been rough on all of us lately. Maybe we should schedule some shore leave after this deal is over. Of course, I suppose I'm speaking a little selfishly, too," he added with a wry, bass chuckle. "I've been itching to swing by Solaris some time and watch some of the new talent."

"I hear ya," Aari agreed with a grin and a nod. "Well, we've just got another day to go. This one of the shortest defense contract I've ever run. I guess the Mariks just got spooked--"

Suddenly, there was a loud, persistent beeping. Aari swiped his sidearm from the table, spilling his coffee in the process and darted out the door. Jameson followed closely with his laser pistol drawn.

"Sirs!" gasped one of the truck drivers as he skidded into the hall in front of them. He was panting hard and had a bloody hand clapped over his forehead. "Someone just ambushed the convoy!"

"What?!"

The trucker nodded and motioned them to follow. "A man and a woman jumped me when we pulled up to the HQ. They took out Peterson and took his laser pistol-- the woman got mine, too. I don't know where they went."

Jameson swore softly. "Bet I do."

"The MechBay!" Aari quickly found the nearest comm box and punched it. "Everyone! Red alert! Get to your 'Mechs! We've got two intruders in the hangar, and they _are_ armed!" With that, he dashed down the hall. Jameson was already a good distance ahead of him. "They probably took the biggest 'Mechs in there, which means you're gonna be short your _Mauler_, and my _Marauder_ is probably next on the list."

"Wait, what about the prisoners?" Jameson gasped. "Bloody… I'm going back."

Aari gave him a quick nod and pressed himself up beside the door as his friend turned and sprinted off. He quickly readied himself, then opened the door slowly and poked the muzzle of his gun through the crack.

A burst of laser fire nearly skinned his nose, accompanied by what was most probably a threat. With the door between them and the hangar walls reflecting the sound strangely, he could hardly make out the words, but did manage to determine that the speaker was male. That wasn't much help, but he answered anyway.

"Put down your weapon! We've got you cornered!" he yelled. "The tanks'll chew you up outside, and by the time you get past them, you'll be looking down the barrel of every 'Mech in here. No matter which one you take, you can't beat all of us!"

There was more angry, incoherent yelling, and another burst of laser as Aari nudged the door. He drew back quickly.

"Don't be stupid! We've got you outnumbered! Just surrender! We're not gonna hurt you if we don't have to."

This time, his only reply was the sound of a reactor flaming to life. Aari cursed and moved away from the door, just as the song of a laser clipped the air and a large chunk of the hangar floor impacted the wall. Another laser discharged, and there was a sound of groaning metal.

"That… would be the door," he groaned.

He was almost knocked to the floor as the 'Mech thundered out the do-it-yourself door and disappeared into the faint dawn.

Satisfied he would be neither crushed nor shot, Aari bolted through the door into the hangar and took a quick inventory. Surprisingly, the missing 'Mech was not a big, thundering lug like the _Mauler_, but the refitted _Locust_.

Aari raced over to one of the _Chimeras_ as clambered up into the cockpit. It was the lightest, fastest thing in the hangar, and his only hope of catching up to the thief.

"HQ, this is Colonel Aari in _Chimera_ 2," he said, as he hit the comm. "Some punk made off with the _Locust_. I'm going to have a hard time catching up to him, so I want a _Nagereboshi_ to track him." He pushed the throttle to maximum and chased after the receding silhouette of the scout 'Mech. It was much faster than any 'Mech the Scimitars had, and it also had a head start.

"Aari, this is Jameson! We've got a big problem!" he exclaimed. "Someone shot both our guards and freed the prisoners."

"Lock down the hangar and alert the IBMU! I'm willing to bet this is part of the same group we smoked earlier, and they're probably angry."


	15. Chapter 15 by RogueBaron

**Chapter XV, by RogueBaron**

**_Note:_** I sincerely apologize for my tardiness. I was transferred to another department which was short on personnel, so overtime was mandatory. But now that Ke2ensky is out of the way, I can focus on my other project like this one. Hope everyone likes it.

_**

* * *

**_

The soft grass dipped some good inches as the _Locust_ trampled the ground, creating three-pronged craters. Mario throttled up and pushed the _Locust_ into a sprint. He always thought his _Phoenix Hawk_ was fast, but the _Locust_ easily outran his old mech by 30 kph. It was so fast he felt as if he were flying over the terrain.

The plan was fairly simple. Mario, who was more adept in mech piloting, stole the _Locust_ to draw enemy's attention while attempting to download the information from the main factory. Ilsa, who was better in hand-to-hand combat and virtually in a better shape, sneaked into the jail to free Mario's comrades. Mario felt bad to leave Ilsa fighting alone after what happened to her, but he figured he would not be much of a help for her anyway. This way, at least he gave her some room.

The main factory building was closing fast, and Mario mentally ran the operating manual of the special electronics embedded into the _Locust_. He was to stay within 100 meters from the target to trigger the electronics, and he was to stay there for 20 seconds. If he had to break from his position, the data would be lost and he had to start again.

Soon Mario arrived at the main building, and he put his mech in idle. The electronics kicked in, and a small screen showed the countdown. Some guards climbed to the top of the building and peppered his mech with rifles and hand grenades, but the attack proved futile. Mario watched the screen as it crept slowly to a single-digit number, and he was ready to leave the place when something hit him on the side.

Mario knew he was a sitting duck when downloading the info, but he was busy watching the countdown screen when something placed a good shot at his _Locust_. The thin armor breached and the warning sign screamed the loss of his left machine gun. Mario quickly scanned his radar and cursed at the sight of a _Chimera_. Twice the size of the _Locust_ and almost as fast, the new mech was lethal at all range. Just like its namesake.

Two red energy streaks slammed into the _Locust's_ left torso. The _Locust's_ thin armor, scarred and riddled by the previous hit, could not hold such an immense firepower. The devilish bolt ripped the armor, chastised the internal structure, straight into the reactor. Azure light spilled from the torn mech before it breached, spraying tongues of fire, smoke, and splinters of metal.

The countdown screen still showed 5 seconds to go, but Mario didn't want to stick around to be butchered by the _Chimera_. He fired his jump jets, bringing his mech flying. The electronics beeped in protest, and the fact that Mario had to start the sequence again ticked him off. But it was better than dying.

"Not good… not good…" Mario hissed, both scared and mad.

The _Chimera_ attacked again. Half a dozen missiles leapt from its torso. Lucky for Mario, the missiles were unguided. Concrete bits flew in every direction as the missiles slammed into the building's wall. Mario paced his mech, sprinting left and right, dodging lasers madly. The _Chimera_ was the only mech other than his _Locust_ in the vicinity, but the tight space between buildings made it hard for him to outrun the 40-ton mech. One unfortunate hit burnt half the myomer on his leg. It burnt furiously. Mario knew the _Locust_ was not designed for combat, and any hit on critical part would give him serious trouble. But running didn't seem to be a plausible choice right now.

However, another mech signature popped up in his radar. It was Blitzie's _Bushwacker_. Ten missiles rose into the sky from extreme distance, and although only one hit the _Chimera_, it was enough to get its attention. The _Chimera_ turned back and started peppering the Bushwacker with its large laser. Always adamant, Blitzie took every hit and returned fire with his missiles while setting up for his autocannon.

"Blitzie! You made it!" Mario chimed. "Where are others?"

"Gone," Blitzie replied in a bitter voice. "Those damn Mariks killed Chip and other mechwarriors."

"Ilsa?" A bit of twinge hit Mario's mind. "Where's she?"

"She sacrificed herself to get me to my mech. Now get the info again, Mario. I'll hold the _Chimera_."

Mario swung his _Locust_ and dashed toward the main building again. The guards crowded the roof of the building, some wielding shoulder-mounted SRM. Mario fired his remaining machine gun and laser while lining up with the building. As the guards dispersed to avoid the fire, the electronics once again linked to the mainframe and started downloading the information. Mario kept on pressing the guards while keeping his eyes on Blitzie and the _Chimera_. As the electronics beeped, sounding the completion, Mario kicked his mech.

"Blitzie, I got the data!" he screamed on the comlink. "Form up on me and let's get the hell out of here!"

Blitzie tried to comply, but yet another mech started up. He looked in horror as his radar gave the specs of the new mech: a _Mauler_, a 90-ton metal giant crawling out of the hangar.

"Assault mech on the loose!" Mario yelled. "Disengage and run as fast as you can!"

"I'll handle this twerp!" Blitzie instead boldly fired on the _Mauler's_ shoulder.

"No, you nuts!" Mario fired his jets. "Form up and run, Blitzie!"

"Somebody has to keep it busy! Just go and finish the mission! Get out of this rock!"

"Listen to me you…"

"No, _you_ listen to me!" Blitzie's voice was full of bitter realization. "We can't win against the _Mauler_ and the _Chimera_ together! Your mech is faster, so you have more chance to survive. Find a way to get out of here before they get me!"

Mario knew it was the truth. Even by working together, the chance of them beating the _Mauler _and the_ Chimera_ was slim. Mario took one last glance at the _Bushwacker_ as it made its last stand against the much bigger _Mauler_, then slammed his foot into the pedal. The _Locust_ jerked and broke into a limping sprint. Both the Chimera and the _Mauler_ focused on the _Bushwacker_ and let Mario slip away…

…which Mario found a bit strange, but couldn't complain about.

* * *


	16. Chapter 16 by Kat Wylder

**Chapter XVI by Kat Wylder**

_**IBMU Complex,  
Irian, Free World League,  
April 16, 3068**_

Aari had tried again and again to reach the _Locust_ pilot on the comm as he chased the light 'Mech. He knew the MechWarrior was a male, and nothing else. Whether one of the opposing mercs was inside the scrawny little _Locust_ or if it was some native trouble-maker, he didn't know. After chasing the thing down and being ignored, though, he honestly didn't care anymore.

"Sir! I've got a visual! The _Locust_ is holding position about 50 meters from the southwest corner of the complex, over," reported the _Nagereboshi_.

"He's info-jacking!" Jameson growled, having heard the hovercraft's report. In the background, Aari could hear the humming reactor of the 90-ton 'Mech as Jameson brought the _Mauler_ online.

"Well, I'm interrupting him." The Colonel swung his crosshairs over the rear of the scout, and squeezed off a PPC shot.

The distinctive electrical snap seemed to startle the _Locust_ from its idle status. Immediately, it jerked forward, half torso-twisted back to him, and took off.

"On, no ya don't," muttered Aari as he kept after it, spearing it in the left torso with two laser shots. He pressed the attack with still more weapons fire. The Chimera was light on its feet, but a race between the two 'Mechs would be laughable. The only was to keep the aggressor where he wanted was to try and pin it down between the buildings.

"Chimera 2, this is IBMU Control," came a woman's voice. "Your stray fire just grazed one of our buildings. Recommend you attempt to drive the _Locust_ away from the complex, over."

He muttered a curse too low for his employers to hear, and punched the comm. "Negative, Control. I know what I'm doing."

"Chimera 2, please—"

"No!" With that, he slapped the mute button.

The IBMU had not done his unit any favors, and even now, they were only distracting him. Rather than split his concentration with IBMU Control, he pulled his focus back to the fight. As he glanced down at his radar, to check for Jameson's approach, he noticed a new enemy signature. It was closing on his position fast from the rear. Before he could even lean the joystick to turn, a warhead slammed into the back of his 'Mech. The salvo hadn't locked on, but he wasn't about to count on that for the next round of fire.

_"Enemy detected,"_ reported the computer, lagging behind the event a few seconds.

Aari stomped down on the brake pedal and shifted his weight to force the _Chimera_ into a particularly tight turn. "Jameson, what's your ETA? Got a_ Bushwhacker_ munchin' on me, and Control is getting antsy."

"ETA is 1:30 sec. I've got the _Bushy_ on scope."

Though not the best pilot Aari had gone toe-to-toe with, the opposing MechWarrior proved a challenge. The enemy's 15-ton weight advantage gave it an edge, and the autocannon was chewing through his armor rapidly. It wouldn't be long before the missiles started hitting their mark.

A hard blast stabbed Aari's _Chimera_ in the gut, fragmenting armor like splinters. The spray of ferro-fibrous peppered the sides of the buildings, shattering glass windows, scarring metal, and pockmarking the concrete. Aari felt his pulse increase sharply. He had to get that _Bushwhacker_ down before it stripped off his armor or caused casualties. He pulled back a little, trying to induce the pilot to follow him out into the field.

"I'm in range!" exclaimed Jameson. "No visual. Where is it?"

"Right behind me. Get ready to floor it, Jay. This one's probably gonna bolt when he sees you—"

Unexpectedly, the _Bushwhacker_ did the exact opposite. It cut a swift right and made the audacious choice to slam the _Mauler_ in its shoulder with a salvo of missiles. One after another, they streamed into the assault 'Mech, creating a wave of explosions; but not one of them slowed it down. The square shoulders of the _Mauler_ coughed a mix of weaponry back at the 55-tonner, forcing it to bend and lean.

While the _Bushwhacker_ was distracted, Aari tried to weave out of the buildings and follow the _Locust_. The scout's ally wasn't about to allow that, however. Despite the veritable rain of ordnance from the _Mauler_, it turned and opened fire on Aari. His left torso went red as a laser beam tagged him, worsening what damage was there. Another spray of missiles plowed straight into the _Chimera's_ torso.

Aari forced his 'Mech to oppose the gravity pulling him down, while more fire from the _Bushwhacker_ scarred up his 40-tonner. He replied in kind with a PPC, and tore away a large chunk of metal from its hip. With the inner joint weakened, the 'Mech brought itself down by sheer weight. Its leg groaned loudly as the limb was wrenched in the fall. The _Bushwhacker's_ torso plowed into the ground until the cockpit was half-buriedBy now, the _Locust_ was off radar, with only its three-toed tracks and lancemate as witness it had ever been at the scene.

Neither Jameson nor Aari bothered to state their mutual conclusion: there was no way they could catch it now. The Colonel tapped in a line to the _Nagereboshi_.

"Hey, kids, how ya holding up?"

"Just fine, sir. Still undetected," replied the driver.

He sighed, rubbing his head. "Good. Keep it that way."

"Yes, sir. We just— Oh, my God!" the driver yelped. In the background, Aari could hear the thunderous plodding of a BattleMech's fast gait. It sounded even louder through the comm of the tiny hovercraft. "It made us! Repeat, it ma—"

Then there was nothing.

Aari's jaw dropped a little as he watched the comm light go out. Being a merc was a risky business; that was a given. He always knew he'd lose people, just as he had a few months ago. After awhile, he'd gotten used to killing. It wasn't traumatic to tear through an enemy 'Mech, or to shoot an enemy soldier. No matter how long he stayed in the business, though, he knew he'd never quite get used to seeing his own people die. Clanners could ignore that, and probably some Spheroids could unblinking watch their comrades die, too. He couldn't.

"Maybe that's a good thing..." he muttered to himself, as he turned his 'Mech and trotted back to the HQ.

* * *


	17. Chapter 17 by RogueBaron

**Chapter XVII, by RogueBaron**

_**Saso, New Syrtis,  
December 16, 3068**_

Getting away from Irian was not easy, especially when IBMU sent their entire agent to search every single _Locust_ on planet. Alas, the _Locust_ was Mario's only transportation. So he had to hide it and hitchhike here and there to get to the nearby towns.

Lucky for him, IBMU or the Scimitars never saw his face, so he could get into town to find a junk dealer who was willing to take his _Locust_, in exchange of free shuttle ticket to New Syrtis. The junk dealer knew that IBMU was looking for the _Locust_, but the price of the _Locust_ was much higher than the fee of turning Mario in. So they opted to take the mech, and gave Mario what he wanted. All Mario took from the _Locust_ was the memory card from the electronics.

And here he was, in Outreach, eight months later, waiting for the Davion rep to pay him for a job well done. As he handed the memory card, he wondered if it worth the lives of his entire company. Dozens of mercenaries and locals gave their lives to get it, and Mario was the only one left in the Screaming Eagles unit.

"Thank you, mechwarrior Cruz," the Davion rep took the memory card and put it in his briefcase. "Your service is very influential to monitor every movements of the Word of Blake. We can't let Outreach, Tharkad, and New Avalon happens again."

Mario was a bit thrown off by the fact that the Davion rep didn't even check for the memory card. He didn't think that the Davions trusted mercenary units, especially a small company like the Screaming Eagles. He remembered thinking about this when he was at Irian. Why would Davion send a merc unit to do a sensitive job like this? They did have excellent spies, and they had strong connection with House Kurita, whose O5P was known to be the best intelligent agency around the Inner Sphere. Why the Screaming Eagles?

"What's in it?" Mario couldn't help.

"Your service is no longer needed," the Davion got up instead. "I just authorized a transfer to your bank account. You should see it in a couple of hours. If we ever need your service in the future, we'll contact you. As for now, I suggest you take some time off to rebuild your unit before you go to the field again."

"Sir," Mario grabbed the Davion. "I lost eleven lancemates to recover the data. I have a right to know what it is."

"You have been rewarded accordingly, mechwarrior Cruz. That's the only right you owe from House Davion."

"How do you know I gave you the data? How do you know that the memory card contains what you need? You didn't even check it. Why? What's in the memory card?"

The Davion look at him for a long time and regretted underestimating Mario's attention to detail. Alas, he knew he couldn't escape from Mario's pledge, so he let out a deep breath before answering, "Struts. Armor. Gyros. Jump jets. Who knows. It doesn't matter."

"What?" Mario squinted. "It doesn't matter? You paid us for nothing?"

"What we need is not at Irian," the Davion explained. "We sent you to Irian to throw off Marik's guard. Your unit was a diversionary force. We sent our spies to retrieve our goal, and the real mission has been accomplished. That's the only thing you need to know."

"So my lancemates died for nothing!" Mario snarled. "I knew something was not right about this mission! You _hijo de puta!_ You think you can play with other people's lives? _Vete al infierno!_"

"Don't forget what you really are, mechwarrior Cruz!" the Davion yelled. "You're a mercenary, and money is what counts for you. Don't lecture me about life, because you don't know what it means."

Mario just couldn't take it anymore. He cocked his arm and decked the Davion, right on the bridge. The Davion's head snapped back, and he tumbled backward, swept by Mario's fierce rage. Blood streamed down from his nose smearing his light-colored shirt.

"You're dead, Cruz!" he reached for his gun. "You mercenary filth!"

"You killed me when you sent me to Irian," Mario growled, turning his back at the Davion. "Go ahead, kill me again. After all, I'm just a mercenary to you."

Mario walked away, expecting the sharp bullet to rip his body anytime soon. But it never came. So Mario walked into the snow curtain of Saso, thinking if the lives of his comrades really worth a couple million c-bills. But in the end, the Davion was right. It was the life of a mercenary. It was who they were, and it was how they were measured. People would always link them with money, although deep within, they were as human as everybody.


	18. Chapter 18 by Kat Wylder

**Chapter XVIII, by Kat Wylder**

_**IBMU Complex,  
Irian, Free World League,  
April 25, 3068**_

"Well, I must say, Colonel Aari, you did a fine job of defending the IBMU facilities from the initial attack. However," said the IBMU liaison as she glanced up from her computer, "you failed to prevent that _Locust_ from downloading information. You also failed to identify its pilot, track the 'Mech, and destroy it. We picked up the 'Mech from a local salvage yard yesterday. All the data was pulled from its memory; the pilot got away clean."

Aari frowned and balled his fist a little. The _Nagereboshi_ crew and half a dozen guards had died, and the perpetrator would likely never be seen again. "That all might have been prevented if your company had told us about the rebels. We were ready for the mercs, but not for some crazy vigilantes. My people died because of what _you_ didn't tell us."

The liaison pushed her glasses up a little on the bridge of her nose. "It is regrettable that some of your employees were killed, but the rebels are the concern of Irian's police force, not mercenaries."

"I don't think you heard me, miss. They frikkin' _shot_ six of my men! The_ Locust_ vaporized the tank crew! No amount of money's gonna make up for that, but you had better reimburse us for the equipment loss and for dangers not specified in the contract."

"I can reimburse you for the equipment, but nothing more," she said, handing him a check. "You failed your primary mission. Your contract is now terminated."

Aari jumped to his feet and slammed his fist down on the woman's desk. "The MRBC _is_ going to hear about this," he fumed. "And I can guarantee you that if the Scimitars ever visit Irian again, you will _not_ be happy to see us."

"Is that supposed to be a threat, Colonel? It's hardly effective. There are dozens of mercenary units in the InnerSphere who would gladly accept a defense contract from us. Don't try to spite me by threatening to run the mission from the other side," she scoffed. "We won't be hiring you in the future regardless."

Aari frowned and slipped the check into his shirt pocket, then turned to leave.

"Oh, and, Colonel," said the woman. "I expect you've released your prisoner to the custody of the police?"

"You mean that kid from the _Bushwhacker_?" Aari laughed and walked out of the office. "Not a chance!"

Outside, Nannen waited for him. "Well, how'd it go?"

"Snafu," Aari said with a shrug. "They really stiffed us on this, Faye. All I got out of the IBMU was a check for damages, and that's probably because they felt bad about our casualties. And their liaison had the nerve to tell me to turn that merc pilot over to them."

"Hmph, as far as I'm concerned, they can shove it," she muttered. "What're we gonna do about that pilot, though? Blitzie's his name, I think."

"Doesn't matter. If he'll earn his keep, he can tag along with us for all I care."

"Are you outta your head, Ken? He fragged one of our guards!"

"And we fragged his friends, too. I'm not happy about that, but I don't have anything against him for doing what he was hired to do," said Aari, as he began walking. "Doesn't mean I'd trust him completely, but I'm not looking for revenge."

Nannen trotted along beside him. "You know, you seem different lately."

"Just think about what happened last year. I was ready to lynch Randi, when all the time it was Jen who was stabbing us in the back." He shook his head. "I'm tired of holding grudges. To be honest, sometimes I get tired of this work."

"What would you do if you quit?" asked Nannen. Aari only met her reply with silence. "Yeah, me, too. The _Shamshir_ just touched down. You ready to get off this rock?"

"Yeah, I think I am," Aari said with a sigh.

As he walked across the field, he was more and more convinced of what he said. A mercenaries' loyalty was to the highest bidder only. There was no room for grudges, no room for prejudice, no room for anything but a willingness to do what needed to me done and not look back. There were no "good guys" and "bad guys", and you could at any moment find yourself working for the people you were shooting at last week. That was simply the way life worked for mercenaries, and it would never change.

At the far end of the field, Aari could see the gunmetal dome of the Scimitars' dropship, the _Shamshir_. The little spots on its hull that were scratched shone in the unspectacular light, while the vehicles and 'Mechs marched into the bay. Its presence was like clockwork, and meant that it was time to move on to a new contract and a new mission.

No grudges. No anger. Just more money. Nothing else mattered.

**THE END**

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**Notes from authors:**

Well, we did it. This little joint fanfic may serve as a trial to make something bigger. We admit, it was rough. But if we didn't do this, we wouldn't know what needs to be improved. Better coordination is what we need for the future, should we want to do this again. Anyway, lives go on for the characters. You might see Mario, Aari, Nannen, and the survivors of this story in our next installments, so stay tuned. Also, reviews are appreciated. They're our biggest source of improvements.


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